Hours after the ceasefire that ended the 11-day string of attacks between Israel and Gaza, Israeli police clashed with groups of Palestinians outside the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem on Friday (21 ).).
The security forces fired superb grenades at the Palestinians, who retaliated by throwing stones and Molotov cocktails at the police.
According to the Israeli press, dozens of police were prepared for possible riots in the Esplanada das Mesquitas area, the scene of similar clashes last week that served as the trigger for the recent escalation of violence.
An Israel Police spokesperson said stones were thrown at officers standing at one of the stopped gates. The units would then enter the Temple Mount area to contain the disturbance.
The site is one of the most sensitive of the conflict in the Middle East and a buildup of clashes there in early May sparked the Israel-Hamas conflict when the militant group began firing rockets from Gaza in response and Israel responded. counterattacked with air strikes.
Hamas began firing rockets on the 10th in retaliation for what it called violations of Israeli rights against Palestinians in Jerusalem during the holy month of Ramadan for Muslims. The attacks came after a series of clashes between Israeli security forces and Palestinian groups at the Al-Aqsa Mosque and a trial court ruling that could expel Palestinian families from a disputed neighborhood in East Jerusalem since. its annexation by Israel in 1967. In response, the Israeli armed forces began to bomb Gaza.
The spate of violence was the most serious since 2014. The last major clash lasted 51 days and devastated the Gaza Strip, killing at least 2,251 Palestinians, mostly civilians, and 74 Israelis, almost all soldiers.
The current conflict has also served as fuel to escalate internal hostilities in Israeli cities that were previously seen as symbols of coexistence between Arabs and Jews. There have been hundreds of arrests and local authorities have declared states of emergency and curfews. In addition, there were signs of revolt against Israel among the Arab population of neighboring Lebanon and Jordan, which heightened fears that the conflict would destabilize the entire Middle East – which it did not do.